Veggie Sliders at Anokhi Cafe Charity Event

The ticket

Last Friday the Anokhi Cafe in Mysore hosted a charity event organised by Amberlin Tannehill in support of Ashadayaka Children's Home and Operation Shanti.  We were asked by Tom Norrington Davies if we would like to help out with some of the cooking, we agreed right away but have to admit it was a daunting task, slightly less when it changed from a seated meal to canapés.  For our part we were to make 150 veggie burger sliders using the pav buns at at the local bakery, which we had pointed out previously would be idea for sliders.  But 150?  And would that many people turn up?  The KPJAYI shala is certainly very busy here in Mysore, about 200 people we think, and then of course there are people from other yoga studios and some people who aren't even doing yoga here (gasp!).  

The Menu

But we were looking forward to being part of something and to sharing food with people which is what we really enjoy doing and Adam always loves a new challenge so we started planning.  We decided to serve the burgers with a tomato relish which Adam set about making on the Thursday and then the slider patty mix on the Friday, which had to go into a sterilised bucket as we didn't have any bowls or pots of that size.  To back track, for those of you unfamiliar with the 'slider' it is basically a burger or American style sandwich that is small and delicate, ideal for canapés as you can 'slide' them in in a couple of bites.  

Off we went on the scooter with the bucket of veggie burger mix on the running board held in by Adam's feet and me with the large bowl of tomato relish in my hands dreading every bump in the road, but we made it as set up was taking place under instruction of Flora, one of the 2 people who run the cafe and it looked wonderful already.  

People were working in a team and taking instruction from Tom as to what to peel, stir, chop or grate.  We cut up the 300 buns, as there were also potato sliders courtesy of Anu of the famous Anu's cafe.  Also on the menu and in need of setting up were her tasty pumpkin delight,  Tom's Vietnamese rice noodle salad and his lovely beetroot soup along with the amazing desserts, courtesy of Sam, former pastry chef at the Four Seasons hotel and a Mysore legend.  

There were a few things that were waiting until the guests arrived, Tom's chickpea and tomato bhel puri and the veggie sliders as we wanted them to go out warm.  So as the guests arrived Adam and Tom got to their stations and started shaping and cooking the mini burgers while I had the buns and relish waiting before topping them off and sending them out.

Once this started happing and the 100 guests arrived and mingled as it got dark out, we were so flat out busy that I didn't get any more photos, but suffice to say that the guests had a good time, a good amount of funds were raised to help the children benefitted by the charities and we had the best time so far in Mysore.  

Veggie Sliders

makes 8 sliders or 4 normal size burgers


1/2 cup chana dal (or split peas)
1 cup TVP (texturised vegetable protein (*see note at bottom).
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp liquid smoke (if you don't have this try smoked paprika)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp flour (add a bit more if the mixture is too wet)
1 tbsp olive oil for frying (more or less according to your pan)

1. Soak the chana dal (or split peas) overnight (if you have the time).  Drain, rinse and place in a deep saucepan with 2 cups of water or enough to cover by one inch.  Simmer for 1 hour or until the dal is very soft and most of the water evaporated, you will have to keep looking and stirring for the last 15 minutes.
2. Blend the dal paste with a wire whisk or in a blender, it should be quite firm and dry.
3. In the meantime soak the TVP in 1 cup of boiling water and cover, let stand for at least 15 minutes.  Drain any excess water and set aside.
4. Combine all of the other ingredients with the  dal and TVP in a bowl and mix well.  Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour, preferable longer if possible to firm up the mixture.
5. Form into patties of the desired size.  Heat heat the olive oil over medium heat in a non stick frying pan then cook the burgers for 3 to 5 minutes each side until they are warmed through and fully browned.  Serve on a bun with toppings of your choice, we chose tomato relish for ours.

* TVP or texturised protein is a soya product that can be found in health food stores or in most Indian supermarkets, it is dry and needs to be rehydrated before cooking.  It is a good vegetarian substitute for recipes that used ground beef.

Drive In Breakfast, Mysore

Cars are a pretty new phenomenon in India, and are becoming more common amongst the growing middle class, and what better way to combine the car, a relatively new status symbol, with the Indian love of food than the Drive in Restaurant.  Many cafes offer service to the cars that pull up in front as people eat their breakfast, snack, dinner in the car.  

Our friends Philippa and Mahesh, who now live in Mysore while they set up a retreat in the mountains of the Western Ghats of Karnataka, wanted to share this experience with them and took us to their favourite place set amongst giant willow trees, a very peaceful and shanti atmosphere, not so much like a car park.

We parked up, placed our order and were brought our breakfast by the adept waiter, and ate in the car.  One benefit, that we didn't take up, was the idea of honking your horn to get the waiters attention, which could be a benefit in the case of needing more chutney or sambhar.

Adam wasn't so sure about being able to balance the plate on his lap, but he did manage.  He had his usual idli and I had my usual set dosa, both were good, nothing out of the ordinary to report.  

You can also eat on your bike, but there is no car service on Sunday mornings, note to self.

This was our car in the car park, surrounded by lush greenery and the only place that I can think of that had music piped out there to add to the tranquility of the setting.  

Desaprakash Paradise Hotel, Mysore

The Paradise Hotel is a branch of the once illustrious Desaprakash group, which was obviously still going strong in the 70's as displayed by the architecture and design of this property.  We had been to the branch downtown for a lunch thali but had heard that this one was better and indeed we agree, although we have only been for breakfast, one of the meals which consider ourselves expert in as we eat out for Indian breakfast almost everyday.

The only dish we order here is the tomato uttapam, a kind of set dosa with tomatoes in it, which for some reason is not on the menu at the other cafes we go to.  It is really delicious but the most winning thing here at Paradise is the coconut chutney, it is by far better than any of our usual places, much thicker and fresher coconut taste.  I will for sure miss this when we are back in the UK.

The design of the hotel is classic 1970s and I think that is also when they stopped upgrades to it unfortunately, however the restaurant is large and airy and the booths are beside big open windows overlooking trees (well after the car park) and you don't feel so much like you are in Mysore, but somewhere more fresh.

Normally it is not so busy and we wonder what the occupancy rate of the once glamorous hotel is, my guess is around the 20% mark judging from the size of the dining room and number of guests in it for breakfast, which is sad as with a refurb it could be a classic retro place, but then again you could say that about many places in India. 

Overall Paradise is quite a bit more expensive than our local cafes, once the hotel tax is added on our bill is usually around 200 rupees with tip, compared to say 59 rupees at our everyday place, Indra Sweet n Spice, but you don't feel rushed, the coffee comes in a pot and you get a little more than one cup each, it's bright and spacious and most of all...the chutney is the best around.  We go about once every two weeks on the weekend.

GTR Mysore

We had arranged a group of people to do some breakfast exploring to GTR (Gayatri Tiffin Rooms), which we had read about on some blogs and even someone from Mysore recommended to us on our own blog post about the Secret Breakfast Place.  However, we were not sure we would be able to find it, and though we'd do a little reccy on our own in advance of taking the group on a wild goose chase.

Turns out it was quite easy to find and we had recognised the outside from other bloggers photos.  We knew in advance of the mens side and the Ladies side, or those accompanied by ladies so we were prepared for that but not for how quickly we were ushered into the ladies side.  There were no women in the mens side so we went where we were sat, in the smaller room to the side with 4 tables and cushioned seats, given the choice in India I would always take the hard benches to soft furnishings any time.

We started with the dosa, which was quite oily, but tasty, the chutney was spicier than our usual place.

Next up the idlis, they were good too.

And to finish the upma, which was good to in the standard way.

It wasn't until the way out that we saw the menu on the self service men's side order desk, they have a pad with the same menu printed and cross the items out as they run out of them for the day, then rip it off for the clean menu the next day.

In the end we didn't go with the group the next day as planned as we found the breakfast a bit heavy, after consideration though, I would like to give it a go again.  Overall, we think the dosa was the most unique item, if we go back we would ask for 'less oil' or maybe 'no oil', the filling was tasty and the dosa itself was the thick kind I like but crisp too.

The total bill was around 59 rupees for the 3 dishes and 2 coffees, ambience was fine but we'd prefer to sit in the mens section next time.

Indo Chinese Schezwan Noodles & Veg

I don't know how I convinced Adam to make an Indo Chinese meal especially with noodles as it really isn't something he would have fancied a couple of years ago, but I'm so glad that he has come around, we both enjoyed this change of taste from ordinary Indian food and were surprised that it turned out so well.

Both the sauce for the noodles and the sauce for the vegetables (in fact most of the Indo Chinese sauces) are created from similar ingredients, normally soya sauce, ginger and ketchup or we used tomato paste.  They are not too difficult to make and really offer a take away type of option at home.

Indo Chinese Veg Manchurian Balls

When we were in Goa for the most part of 3 years we started to try different things on the Indian menu and found that when looking for a change one option was the Indo Chinese offerings.  These are dishes with Chinese names that have been Indianised and are very popular in India, and are often served as street food.

Being as we are too wise to try the street food, i.e. check out how the dishes are washed etc before you make your decision, and are not keen on eating so much oil, Adam decided he would make our own at home.  The guy in the photo above single handedly formed the balls and dropped into the hot oil at around one per second, Adam didn't manage that but he did create the amazing taste.

These Manchurian veg balls were delicious!  They had a firm texture and sweet, spicy taste that was just as I had remembered from eating them in Goa, I am quite happy to know that we can now recreate this treat in London!

Sri Ganesh Coffee Works, Mysore

In London and Canada we were specialist coffee aficionados (snobs I guess you could say).  In London we went for Monmouth coffee, in Vancouver it was JJ Bean, here in India we used to seek out and buy Italian imported coffee, like Lavazza.  But wait a minute, Msyore and Ooty are famous for coffee, why weren't we enjoying this?

To be honest we had tried it before, but felt like it wasn't giving us the kick that we needed / liked / craved.  After some research we discovered that around here they add chicory to the coffee to cut the acidity, this also cuts the caffeine effect, which I'm guessing Indians don't really like as they don't fire on full power as we do in large cities in the west.  

But after a few interactive espresso experiences in both Vancouver and in London we had to ask ourselves, was this high octane, teeth grinding full on experience one we really needed?  We started to try the South Indian coffees and found that not only could we drink one at 4.00 pm and still sleep at night but that we enjoyed the flavour, and when buying the freshly ground beans we could choose the amount of chicory added, so we have now opted for the 10% blend and are making our coffee at home in a south Indian decoction method and really enjoying it.

Our favourite place in Mysore is Sri Ganesh Cofee works, opposite the main fruit and veg market, you choose your beans, blend and they grind it freshly and insist on having you smell the coffee before placing it into your bag.  

Will we go back to the super strong blends back in London?  It's hard to say no to a Monmouth coffee experience along with a fresh St. John doughnut or eccles cake at the Maltby St. market, perhaps we'll share one to cut the strength?